Supervisory mechanism



E. 0. HEA LY.

SUPERVISORY MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 8,19I9.

1 4 7 1 5 Patented Feb. 28, 1922.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELLIS C. HEALY, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOB, TO NEWMAN CLOCK COMPANY, INC., OF NEW YORK. N. Y.. A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SUPERVISOR-Y MECHANISM.

Application filed April 8,

T 0 all whom. it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Thus C. Hnnnv, a citizen of the United States, residing at East Orange, in the county of Essex and State or New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Supervisory Mechanism, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

' The invention which constitutes the sub jeot matter of this application relates to a supervisory mechanism adapted to be connected to a valve for controlling access to a recording device. The construction of said mechanism is such that when it is set for normal position access'may be had to a r cording key but if the valve be moved from itsnormal position the key is rendered inaccessible. As each of these valves (or stations is equipped with a key a time imprint maybe made on a record dial of a watchmans clock which indicates the time at which the station was visited by the watch man. Solong as these imprints are made at the required intervals, as shown by the record dial, it is a sure indication that each ofthe valves at those particular times was in normal position. But if the imprint oi? a certain station is omitted from the record dial it would be an equally sure indication that the key at that station was inaccessible and therefore the valve was not in normal condition.

=M0re specifically the invention embraces electrically operated mechanism tor auto matically rendering the key inaccessible when the valve is moved from normal'position, which is simple in construction, easy and inexpensive to manufacture, and reliable in operation. One of the important requirements of devices of this character is that the valve be provided with mechanism that will. render the recording instrument inaccessible upon the first few turns o1 the valve stem from normal position and one of the objects'of my invention to provide simple, positive and reliable mechanism for utilizing the initial movement oi? the valve to control the'record producing means electrically.

In the drawings:

Fig- 1 illustrates a side view of the entire apparatus, certain portions of the valve and certain parts of the recording mechanism being broken away to show interior constructions. The various parts are illus- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 28, 1922.

1919. Serial No. 288,608.

trated in their normal position; that is with the valve entirely open.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section illustrating the construction of the container and the arrangement of the mechanism therein.

8 is a horizontal section taken on the line 33 or 1.

Fig. l is an enlarged view of details.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the reference numeral 10 designates the water supply to the sprinkler coming from any suitable pipe or main (not shown). Located in this supply is a valve 11 provided with a yoke 12. a threaded sleeve 13 rotatably mounted in'the yoke, a valve stem 14 screw threaded to the sleeve 13 and a manipulating hand wheel 15 fixed to the sleeve 13 and adapted to rotate the same in order to impart longitudinal movement to the valve stem 1&- and the gate valve (not shown) attached thereto.

The valve stem 14 projects substantially above the manipulating wheel 15 and surrounding this upwardly projecting portion is a sleeve 16 screw threaded or otherwise rigidly secured to a base 17 which is in turned lived, as by bolts 18, to the hand wheel 15. This sleeve has a swivelled con nection to a box 19 rigidly supported, as by a bracket 20, from a wall or other support 21.

Within the box 19 is a pivotally mounted switch 22 normally held in open position by its engagement with the upper end of the valve stem but moved towards its closed position by means of the spring 23 when the valve is moved from its normal position. lVhen in its closed. position the switch 22 establishes an electric circuit through the conducting wires 24v and 25. These conducting wires are located in a conduit 26 w iich connects the box 19 with the rece )ttiClG 27 which contains the record producing device and the mechanial and electrical contrivances for rendering said device accessible and inaccessible for making a record.

ll ithin the receptacle 2? is a rigidly secured solenoid the normal position of which is illustrated in Figures 1, and with its core projecting therefrom. This core is provided with an extended portion 30 provided with two lugs 31 and 32 projectaterally therefrom and with its end enn the slotted arm The latter nounted upon a shaft which in turn is also provided with a ratchet wheel 35 also rigidly mounted thereon. Pivotally mounted adjacent to and in normal engagement with this ratchet wheel is a spring pressed pawl 36. Rigidly mounted upon this same shaft is another arm 37 to the outer end of which is connected a chain 38 to which a watchmans key 39 of ordinary form is at tached. The core 29 of the solenoid has of course a reciprocating movement and located between and in the path of the studs 31 and 32 is one end of a normally closed switch arm 40 which is pivoted in the circuit at an intermediate point 41 and the other end of which is normally engaged with a contact 42. The construction of the latter is such that it limits the movement of' the arm 40 in a clockwise direction around its pivot. The arm is limited in its counter-clockwise direction by means of the stop lug 453. This arm is held in either of its extreme positions by means of the spring 44: which moves from one side to the other of the pivoted point- 41 as a dead center, as will be understood.

The operation of the device will no doubt be understood from the foregoing but it may be. added briefly that When the valve is moved from its normal (open) position the circuit 2425 will be closed by the spring operated switch 22. This energizes the solenoid 28 which draws the core 29-30 inwardly and imparts a movement of rotation to the arms 33 and 37 and ratchet 35 in a counter-clockwise direction. This movement of the core, etc. continues until the stud 32 engages the arm 40 and moves the same in a counter-clockwise direction, as previously described, thereby breaking the circuit at the contact point 42. This counter-clockwise movement of the arm 33 draws the key upwardly into the receptacle 27 rendering it inaccessible. The parts remain in this position until the spring pressed pawl 36 is manually released from the ratchet, access to which may be had by breaking the glass or by opening the door 46 of the receptacle.

The construction of the container 27 may of course take any number of forms but I prefer the form illustrated herein in which the key, key chain and the arm 33 to which the chain is connected are located in a compartment 47 separate and distinct from the compartment 48 in which the principal parts of the mechanism are confined, these coinpartments being separated from each other by means of the partition wall 49. The construction of the container in this fashion prevents tampering with the vital parts of the mechanism. Particular attention is called to the fact that all the operative or movable parts are concealed or enclosed to prevent tampering therewith.

It will of course be understood that the recording device may be made to operate after any predetermined number of revolutions of the valve from normal position. And it will be readily apparent that the invention lends itself admirably to a situation in which the valve and the recording device are separated at any desired distance from each other. There is illustrated in the drawings a valve which is normally open, but it is obvious that the system may be employed equally as well with a valve normally closed.

It will be understood that I do not limit myself to the exact construction of the preferred embodiment of the invention ashorein described and illustrated, as many changes may be made in points of detail and other embodiments resorted to without deviating from the true spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

\Vhat I claim is:

1. In a supervisory mechanism, a valve provided with a stem, means for imparting a longitudinal movement to said stem to move the valve from its normal position, in combination with a recording device normally accessible for making a record, and electrically controlled mechanism connected to said device and set by the movement of the valve to render the device inaccessible for making a record. 1

2. In a supervisory mechanism for sprinkler or other fluid systems, a valve, a device normally accessible for making a record, and means for rendering said device inaccessible comprising electrically controlled mechanism to which said device is connected, and a member actuated by the movement of said valve stem for setting said electrically controlled mechanism.

3. The combination with a valve provided with a stem and an operating member for actuating said stem to move the valve from normal position, and a normally operative record producing means, of a container, electrically operated mechanism in said container for actuating said record producing means to render it inaccessible, and means actuated by the initial movement of said valve from normal position for controlling said electrically operated mechanism.

4:. A valve provided with a stem and an operating member for actuating said stem to move the valve from normal position, a normally operative record producing means, and a container in combination with electrically opera-ted mechanism located in said container and controlled by the initial movement of said valve from normal position for rendering said record producing means inoperative for making a record.

5. The combination with a valve provided with a stem and an operating member for actuating said stem to move the valve from normal position, and a normally operative record producing means, of a container, electrically controlled mechanism located in said container and controlled by the movement of said valve for rendering said record producing means inoperative for making a record, said mechanism comprising means for automatically rendering said mechanism ineffective after the record producing means has moved a predetermined distance.

6. The combination with a valve, and means for operating it, of a recording device which is operative so long as the valve is in a predetermined normal position, and electrical means controlled by the movement of the valve for preventing operation of the recording device when the valve has been moved from normal position.

7. The combination with a valve provided with a stem and an operating member for actuating said stem to move the valve from its normal position, of manually operable record-producing means, electrically operated means for rendering said record producing means ineffective and means actuated by the movement of the Valve from normal position for controlling the operativeness of said electrically operated means.

8. In combination, a valve, a watchmerfs key, means comprising an electrical translating device for preventing use of said key, and means for controlling said device from said valve.

9. In combination, a valve, a watchmens key, means for locking said key in inoperable position, an electrical translating device for controlling said key, and circuit connections between said valve and device.

10. In combination, a valve, a circuit controller operatively connected to said valve, an electromagnet electrically connected to said controller, a watchmens key, and means controlled by said electromagnet for controlling manual operation of said key.

11. A supervisory mechanism as set forth in claim 1 in which the electrically controlled mechanism comprises a solenoid.

12. A supervisory mechanism .as set forth in claim 2 in which the electrically controlled mechanism comprises a solenoid.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ELLIS C. HEALY. 

